The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

Chapter 867: I Will Forgive, But

The driving cause behind the Alfland incident—Park Woong-Cheol—was already dead, but Seo-Yoon and Yoon-Seok, who had been tricked into going along with the plan, couldn’t avoid punishment. After all, they had anticipated consequences from the start.

"I..." Seo-Yoon muttered. She hadn’t slept well; her hair was disheveled as she jumped up from bed, frowning as she read the message she received from NSDIA.

"The disciplinary measures have been decided... Alright, here we go," she sighed. She had no intention of resenting the punishment; she knew she had done something foolish.

Dragging her tired body, she took a shower and headed to NSDIA, hoping she wouldn't get caught up in anything more exhausting.

The NSDIA always had this kind of atmosphere.

"Seo-Yoon."

"Oh, hey.”

Yoon-Seok, who had apparently received the same message, also looked worn out.

"Did you drink too much last night or something?"

"You didn’t do anything wrong. It was all my idea."

"No, it’s all my fault."

"Stop it with the soap opera, you idiots," Han Yu-Na interrupted, suddenly appearing. It was as if she had been watching their stubborn argument all along. She fiddled with a glowing metal fragment as she passed by.

"Yu-Na…"

"Just go in. You know how big of a deal this incident is, right?”

"Damn it. How were we supposed to know that guy was the Saint of Tionis?" Yoon-Seok said.

"Does that even matter?"

"Of course it matters!"

Yu-Na shook her head at his outburst.

"Sigh… Even if he wasn't Davey O'Rowane, the severity of what you two did wouldn’t have changed. In fact, it might’ve even been worse."

"We were just trying to save people."

"And that almost got more people killed in the process," Yu-Na replied, her gaze pitiful. Yoon-Seok clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Hey! Han Yu-Na! Whose side are you on?!"

"Idiot. I’m on the side of my job. Cleaning up your mess isn’t my responsibility."

"..."

Yoon-Seok and Yu-Na were notorious for not getting along.

"I get that you want to show Seo-Yoon you care, but don’t involve me in it."

"Wh... What?!"

"What are you all doing? The director is waiting for you, so get in here already," Grape called, holding a small hammer as he walked past them. Seo-Yoon and Yoon-Seok sighed before making their way to the director’s office.

There, they met an unexpected figure.

"Uh..."

"We meet again. It’s been about a week, hasn’t it?"

"You’re..."

"This is about Alfland, so of course I should be here."

"This is the NSDIA. Even if you have complaints, coming here yourself..."

"Enough!" Director Park Seo-Ho interrupted, almost screaming.

"Stop it, Seo-Yoon! You’re only making this worse!"

"My apologies." She bowed her head calmly. "I got worked up for no good reason."

"Hmm..." Davey made an amused smile, which made Yoon-Seok’s expression darken.

"Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a small matter. Regardless of it being a national issue, you acted without a warrant. If it had all gone well, maybe we could use it as an excuse, but given that problems arose instead, I have no other choice,” Park Seo-ho said sternly.

Though his words were cold, no one could blame him. After all, he had been the one most desperate to protect Seo-Yoon and Yoon-Seok.

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"There’s been a lot of talk, but I’m not really in the position to decide your punishment. However, I do have a suggestion," Davey said.

Seo-Yoon looked up at him.

"But before that." he snapped his fingers.

A dark energy quickly enveloped the two.

"W-What..."

"It’s nothing much. Ever heard of the Curse of Balding?"

"Aah!!"

"Nooo!!"

Knowing who Davey was, and that his words weren’t just empty threats, the two turned pale.

"What a pity. Becoming bald at such a young age…"

"No... No way!!"

"Uh, yes way.”

"This can’t be happening! Balding?! BALDING?!”

Yoon-Seok screamed while Seo-Yoon collapsed to the ground, trembling.

Neither of them had imagined such an outcome.

"That’s why you shouldn’t go around doing reckless things."

"But this is too harsh!"

"Do you really think what you did wasn’t serious? Think about it—if I hadn’t been Davey O'Rowane, how many people would’ve died because of your actions?"

The two couldn’t say a thing.

"Well, I don’t have much to ask. I just want to hear your thoughts. If something like this happens again in the future, what will you do then?"

The two exchanged troubled looks, contemplating before answering.

"Depending on what you say, I might lift the curse."

His one sentence brought confusion to their eyes.

* * *

If they answered properly, there was a chance to save their hair follicles.

The most ideal response would be to apologize and promise never to do such a thing again. Even though Davey wasn’t officially part of the NSDIA, he had the power to act almost tyrannically in this situation.

Yoon-Seok's mind raced. He knew if he gave the answer Davey wanted, they could save their hair. Davey wasn’t just any Awakened individual—he was a mage from another dimension. A curse like this was probably child’s play to him.

Swallowing his pride, Yoon-Seok began to speak.

"We’ll never..."

"Do it again."

It was then.

Seo-Yoon cut off his answer and stared straight at Davey.

"If there's a way to save people again, I will step in, even if I have to face disciplinary action."

"Seo-Yoon!" Yoon-Seok exclaimed in shock. Hearing her answer, Davey’s expression grew cold.

Anyone could tell that he was clearly furious.

Without a word, Davey began to emanate an eerie aura, pressing down on those in the surroundings.

Even those who could sense magic normally couldn’t feel mana from Davey. But now, his body was letting out an overwhelming amount of mana that everyone could feel. Instinctively, they cowered and shivered.

The pressure grew stronger, enough to make anyone reconsider their response. Behind Davey, a ghostly figure seemed to take shape, its presence chilling.

"Ugh..." Director Park Seo-Ho couldn't hold back his nausea. Davey snapped his fingers, and Park returned to normal in an instant.

"Huh? I feel better."

"Answer me. Seo-Yoon, was it? Many people were hurt because of your reckless decision. Are you going to do it again?"

"Yes… I will."

"Even if a situation like this happens again?"

"I won't make the same mistake twice."

"Idealist," Davey said calmly as he slowly stood up.

He approached her while letting out murderous energy that was enough to make her legs tremble. Sweat poured down her face as she felt the suffocating pressure.

"I... I..."

"Speak. Don't make me angrier. Just say that you’re sorry and you won’t do it again.”

At his words, Seo-Yeon teared up. She glared at Davey while biting her lip. In fact, she bit so hard that it began bleeding.

"Seo-Yoon... just apologize! If you keep this up, he might really..." Yoon-Seok shouted, fearing that Davey might actually kill her.

"I will still do it. But I won't make the same foolish mistake twice. If someone's in danger, if someone’s at risk, I will jump in again.”

Davey locked his eyes onto hers.

"Even if it costs you all your hair and your life?"

It was a dreadful statement, but she showed no hesitation.

"Even then, I'll save as many people as I can!"

At her outcry, Davey closed his eyes. He then slowly reached toward her.

Yoon-Seok cursed his own immobility, turning his head away, unable to watch what he believed was going to happen to her.

"Stop!! Stop! Spare Seo-Yoon! Take me instead, you demon!!"

Despite his shout, no one intervened. Seo-Yoon tightly closed her eyes, bracing for pain.

But what she felt was not pain. Instead, Davey had gently patted her head, pressing down softly.

Gleam!!

With that, the oppressive energy vanished as if it was never present in the first place.

"Pass," Davey said calmly as he turned away, and Seo-Yoon opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"I'll put your issue on hold for now. If you had changed your mind..."

Davey shot her a cold look.

"I would’ve assumed it had been a mere act to get in my way and thrown you into the deepest pit of hell."

He didn't need to specify what that hell entailed.

At his words, Seo-Yoon's legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground.

"Phew..." Director Park Seo-ho let out a sigh of relief as he watched.

"You've gotten soft, haven't you? You used to destroy anyone who got in your way without mercy," Yu-Na remarked.

"How would you know?"

"Ji-Ah told me. When she was in Heins Territory, she said you beat a corrupt judge to death with a law book."

"..."

Yoon-Seok and Seo-Yoon turned pale at her words. Only then did they fully grasp that Davey was not a human from Earth—he was a being from another dimension who had killed others before.

Leaving the panting Seo-Yoon behind, Davey turned to Yoon-Seok.

"You..."

"..."

"I'm a little disappointed."

"If you want to blame me, go ahead. I have no intention of denying what I am."

Davey nodded at his response.

"I know. That's why I didn't lift the Curse of Baldness for you.”

"W-What?!"

"Why? This kid risked her life to answer; you thought you could just tag along?”

"Th-That's..."

"Is your hair that important to you?"

Yoon-Seok clutched his head. As soon as he saw a few strands fall out, he widened his eyes.

"It is! Please forgive me! I'll do anything!!" He shouted, throwing away his pride.

"Please save my precious hair!"

Davey chuckled, clearly amused.

"Let's start with some disciplinary action."

"What kind...?"

"Nothing major. Just some volunteer work at an orphanage. I don't have anything else to make you do for now."

"Director?! What is this..." Seo-Yoon shouted in shock, but Director Park Seo-Ho avoided his gaze.

"Yoon-Seok, Seo-Yoon, your disciplinary period is six months. If this were made official, you'd be heading straight to jail."

"Yes. I understand. I'm prepared for it."

"However, Prince Davey agreed to keep this matter private, under the condition that he takes over your command during your disciplinary period."

"What?!"

Yoon-Seok exclaimed, and Director Park let out another sigh.

"Phew... this was the best I could do. Go back and reflect on what you did wrong.”

"Follow me. I have something for you to do right now," Davey ordered.

Seo-Yoon and Yoon-Seok exchanged bewildered looks. They couldn’t comprehend how all of this even made sense; handing over state officials to a foreign individual was absurd to them.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to. I don't intend to make you do anything unreasonable, and frankly, I'm not interested in working with people who aren’t willing to work either," Davey said casually.

"I'll just make it public, in that case. And if that happens, it won't just be the two of you—even the director who tried to protect you will lose his head. You know that, right?"

Seo-Yoon gritted her teeth at his words.

"What are you going to make us do?" she asked.

Her change in attitude made Davey smile brightly.

"Hmm, let's see. Yoon-Seok, was it? You said your ability has to do with water, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"Alright, that'll do."

‘First… Let's start with washing something.’

* * *

"Eek!!"

Seo-Yoon and Yoon-Seok shuddered as they swallowed their terrified screams. There was an enormous black-scaled dragon coldly staring at them.

[What are you looking at, you insignificant creatures? Do you wish to die?]

The dragon growled, baring its sharp teeth, and Seo-Yoon was so pale that she looked like she was about to faint.

"W-What is this..."

The pressure and fear nearly immobilized them. But they couldn't back down.

"What are you waiting for? Start washing," Davey said as he looked at the giant black dragon Megalodria, the Storm Dragon King of Azure Sky, sitting at the edge of the quiet mountain.

"Your abilities are perfect for washing. One of you analyzes, the other uses water. Oh, be careful with those scales—they're sensitive, so use this to wash them gently."

Davey set down a mysterious soap and some towels, then walked away carrying Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon in his arms.

"What are you waiting for? I have plenty more for you to do. Get started."

ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts

Editorb’s Thoughts

As a bald man, I both resent and sympathize with Davey’s OBSCENE and MERCILESS choice of punishment here. Tho tbh, if the Curse of Baldness means ALL of the hair on top of your head falls out, I’d much prefer that to the process of balding and still having to shave lol. That’d be cool with me as long as it leaves me my beard… If not? A fate worse than death.